The present invention relates to a microchip for a chemical reaction in which various types of chemical reactions can be performed in a microspace.
In recent years, there has been advocated a so-called integrated chemical laboratory in which a chemical experiment can be executed in a microspace in a micrometer scale aiming at speedup, labor saving, resource saving, energy saving, space saving and, further, a reduction of experimental waste liquid and wastes, rationalization of repeated experiments and so forth of various types of researches and developments.
Such an integrated chemical laboratory is constituted by forming a process channel of from sub-xcexcm to 100 xcexcm on a glass substrate having a size of several centimeters square and has an object of performing a chemical reaction on a micro level, separate and, further, detecting a resultant reaction product in a continuous operation.
However, the above-described integrated chemical laboratory has the following problems yet to be solved:
1. Namely, since a glass substrate is used as a substrate, sufficient corrosion resistance can not be secured depending on chemical substances whereupon there is a fear that an experiment related with such chemical substances can not be executed.
2. Since the glass substrate is low in thermal resistance, there is a fear that an experiment cannot be executed at high temperature.
3. It is considered that an experiment is executed at a high temperature or low temperature by providing, for example, a heating/cooling means on a lower surface of a reaction portion of the glass substrate; however, since the glass substrate is low in thermal conductivity, there is a fear that a sufficient chemical reaction rate cannot be secured.
The present invention can solve the above-described problems and has an object of providing a microchip for a chemical reaction in which an experiment can be executed in a quick manner irrespective of a type of a chemical substance to be subjected to a chemical reaction and under all experimental conditions.
In order to achieve the above-described object, a microchip for a chemical reaction according to the present invention is constituted such that a plurality of chemical reaction pool portions and a horizontal communication path composed of a channel which communicates and connects the plurality of chemical reaction pool portions with each other are formed on the surface of a diamond substrate of a minute size.
The microchip for the chemical reaction according to the present invention is also characterized by having the following constitutions:
1. A vertical communication path composed of a pass-through hole which vertically communicates with one of the chemical reaction pool portions is provided and an opening/closing valve is attached to a communication and connection portion.
2. A heating/cooling means is attached along a periphery or a bottom surface of the chemical reaction pool portions for the purpose of heating/cooling the chemical reaction portions.